


Into the Mountain

by Whumpadoodle



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [2]
Category: Star Wars
Genre: BTHB, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Gen, Whump, crash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 11:12:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15948173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whumpadoodle/pseuds/Whumpadoodle
Summary: BTHB: Blood from the mouthSet Pre-TFAIt’s a simple mission, but Poe ignores common sense and gets himself into trouble.





	Into the Mountain

As Commander Poe Dameron’s X-wing starfighter descended into the atmosphere facing the day side of the planet, he again marveled at the sheer geological beauty he had seen during his time as a pilot. This particular planet was no exception, with mountains peeking through the intermittent cloud cover, surrounded by jagged beaches. It was mostly uninhabited, with just a few mining colonies on the official records, and the lack of technological interruption was clearly evident in the natural beauty of the planet. 

Poe and his wingmate, Jessika Pava, had been tasked with reconnoitering the mining colonies to ensure the lack of a First Order Presence. Their capital ship, the Echo of Hope, was currently in orbit around one of the three moons. It was a mission they had flown dozens of times without incident, just like other starfighter pairs, and this one promised to be just as easy. 

“Rapier One, I’m experiencing some sluggish handling since we broke atmo, and my astromech is squawking in my ear about trouble with the engine.” Jess’ frustration at the malfunction came through his speaker clearly. 

“Is it serious?” So much for an uneventful run. 

“I’m not sure. My droid seems to think so.” 

“Better play it safe. I’d hate to have you run into trouble this far from home.”

“The mission? Should we abort?”

“Negative, Rapier Two. Head back to the Echo and have them check it out. I’ll finish the recon.”

“The general won’t be happy with that, sir.”

“It’s just a simple fly-by, Two. I think I can handle it.”

“I don’t like it, One. You’re the one who’s always telling us to stick with our wingman.” 

“Make it an order, then.” Poe’s voice was light, but he wasn’t joking. They couldn’t afford to spend any more time in this sector than absolutely necessary. Jess picked up on that right away.

“Under protest, Rapier One.” 

“Duly noted and logged. See you back at the mess.” Poe watched Jess’ fighter peel away, making a lazy arc and heading back out of atmosphere. He waited for BB-8’s confirmation that she had set a course back for the Mon Calamari cruiser that currently served as their home. 

“All right, take us down easy, BB-8.” Poe addressed his astromech out of habit, more than anything. BB-8 was as good as any sentient pilot, as Poe had boasted on multiple occasions.

His X-wing handled smoothly as they made their run, skimming over the clouds before breaking through them. The planet was indeed beautiful. Down in the valleys between the mountain ranges, rivers twisted through forests like glittering snakes. As the terrain rushed by, Poe was caught up in the sensation of flight and felt like whooping his joy. Only his reflexes, honed in battle, let him twitch the yoke of the X-wing in time to evade the blast from the planet’s surface. 

Poe swore and began evasive maneuvers. “Sithspit! Where did they get a low orbit ion cannon?” 

BB-8 chirped merrily in his ear. 

“Rhetorical question, buddy!” Poe goosed the engines, dodging another ion blast, and trying to get out of range. “Plot us a course out of here!”

The astromech beeped an affirmative. 

Poe took a moment to try to locate the source of the attack. He found it in a small outcropping of rock on a nearby mountain. A handful of buildings clung to the mountainside, and an ion cannon perched like a bird of prey on the edge. It fired again, multiple bursts in quick succession, and this time Poe couldn’t escape. 

The sound that emitted from BB-8 was nothing short of a scream. The instrument panel of the X-wing sparked, bursting into a rainbow of lights, then went dark. Poe yanked desperately at the steering rig, trying to get any response, without luck. 

“BB-8, buddy, you gotta help me out here!” Desperate energy crept into his voice. The fingers of his left hand flew over the controls in an effort to get the engine back online. “BB-8?”

There was no response from the droid, but Poe didn’t have the luxury of time to dwell on that. The planet’s surface was rushing towards him with increasing speed. He finally managed to tap into an override system that allowed him to regain minimal steering. Poe gritted his teeth. 

“Hang on tight, buddy!”

Foliage rushed past them as the starfighter descended lower toward the surface. Poe pulled at the yoke with all his strength, trying to get the X-wing’s nose in the air. Degree by agonizing degree, the angle of their descent changed as pilot, astromech, and starfighter hurtled towards the ground. 

The moment of contact exploded through the small ship, the force of the impact bone-jarring. The X-wing hit the ground, bounced once, bounced again, then skidded to a stop where the valley floor met the base of the mountain. 

Poe slumped motionless in his seat for a long moment, trying to regain his senses. He raised his head slowly, reaching up to remove his flight helmet. A line of crimson threaded its way down from Poe’s split lip. He wiped it away with the back of his gloved hand, then tried the radio. It was dead. 

“BB-8?” 

There was no response from his astromech. Poe fumbled for the switch that would release the canopy. Atmosphere rushed into the tiny cabin, and Poe inhaled sharply. The air was thick and humid, clinging to his skin, to his lungs. Moving carefully, he unbuckled his safety harness and climbed out of the starfighter to get a look at the planet that was his temporary home.. 

His feet had just hit the ground when a guttural snarl sounded from behind him. Poe turned slowly, reaching for his blaster. When he was facing the rocky base of the mountain, he saw three alien figures, massively huge. They were mostly humanoid, except for their extra set of arms and the squashed face. Their skin was leathery and grey, so that they almost blended into the rocks where they stood. Then Poe noticed the pair of heavy blaster rifles that each carried. 

“They said, don’t move.”

Poe blinked. A fourth figure emerged from behind one of the aliens. Female, definitely human, and wearing a rough tunic. 

She shrugged passively. “I would listen to them.” 

It was then that Poe noticed the metal collar around her neck, attached to a few meters of chain that led to the belt of one of the aliens. Poe shifted his grip on his blaster. If it were just him, he would have opened fire without hesitation. That was no longer an option. 

Another guttural snarl accompanied two of the behemoths raising their blaster rifles to aim directly at him. Poe looked from the woman to her captors, then sighed heavily. He dropped his weapon and raised his hands.

**Author's Note:**

> Requested by @whumperwriter  
> Square C5 on my Bad Things Happen Bingo Card


End file.
